Display apparatus.



M. L. STERN.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

LPPLIULTION rum) No v. e, 1909.

967,685. Patented Aug. 16,1910.

Ammers.

WITNESSES rut Konus Pin-Rs cu., imsmnmon, D. cA

UNITED STATES PATENT A OFFICE.

MORRIS L. STERN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS L. STERN, a subject of the Czar of fRussia, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Display Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus for displaying merchandise of different kinds, in shops, show windows or other places of this character, and relates more particularly to display apparatus comprising a support having resilient parts, hangers depending from these parts and having removable connection therewith, and a shelf secured to said hangers, the shelf serving to carry the merchandise or other articles to be displayed.

An object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensive ap aratus for displaying merchandise of diffrent kinds, and in various quantities; which can be easily set up and taken down at any place desired for the display of the merchandise; which, when not required for use, can be taken down and packed into small compass for shipment or storage; which can be adjusted for displaying diiferent quantities of mer-l chandise, and in which the shelves can be fashioned from different materials.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide special means for securing a shelf fashioned from glass or like material, to hangers or other supporting devices so that the shelf has a cushioned engagement with 'the securing means, and in which these can be easily placed in position or removed.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to b e had to the accompany-- ing drawings forming apart of this specification, lin which similar characters` of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View of lthe support; Fig. '3 is a side elevation'of the ',support; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the special means for securing a glass or like shelf to the hangers.

Before proceeding to a more detailed eX- planation of my invention, it should be clearly understood that while I have shown Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 6, 1909.

Patented Aug. 16, 1910. serial No. 526,531.

in the accompanying drawings, for example, shelves fashioned from wood and from glass, any other material adapted for the purpose can be employed equally well. I have found that glass shelves are attractive in appearance, are easily kept clean, and permit the merchandise, if necessary, to be viewed from the under side. However, this material has a decided disadvantage in that it is of fragile nature, and for this reason I provide, as will appear more clearly hereinafter, special cushioned means for securing a glass shelf to the hangers. I have show n chains used as hangers, but any other elongated members adapted for the purpose can be employed if so desired. These and others of the details of construction form no partof my invention, and can be varied in accordance with individual preference and special conditions, without departing from the underlying spirit of the invention. In this connection too, it may be said that while I have shown for example, two shelves, one only, may be used, or the number may be increased beyond two, as the eXigencies of the use of the apparatus demand.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I employ a support 10 fashioned from sheet metal or the like, and substantially rectangular in form. It has at each corner a diagonally and laterally extended arm 11 preferably formed integral therewith, and possessing a certain normal resiliency. The arms 11 are bent to form two or more recesses or depressions 12 and are preferably tapered. Hook bolts 13 having threaded v parts mounted in suitably threaded openings ofthe support, serve for mounting the latter in place. By means of the bolts 13 the support can be, for example, suspended from eye-bolts 14 secured to a ceiling or at any other suitable lace. Eye-bolts 15 are secured at the undijr side ofthe support, near the corners thereof, having threaded stems located in suitably threaded openings of the support.

A shelf 16 fashioned for example, from wood, and of any suitable ornamental form, is provided near its corners with eye-bolts 17 having the stems located in openings of the shelf, and secured therein by butter-fly nuts 18. I employ hangers 19 consisting for example of chains, and having at each end S-hooks 20 adapted to engage respectively, the eye-bolts of the support 10 and the shelf 16, to suspend the latter in position. The shelf may be hung at any suitable distance below thesupport, within the limits of the lengths of the hangers, as the S-hooks need not be associated withthe chains at the end links but can be secured at any intermediate links, so that the effective lengths of the hangers can be varied.

Underneath the shelf 16, I employ a second shelf 21, consisting for example, of a sheet of plate glass or the like. Chain hangers 22 are employed for suspending the shelf 21, and have at their upper ends S- hooks 23 adapted to be removably mounted in the depressions or recesses 12 of the arms 11. Near each corner, the shelf 21 has an opening in which islocated 'the shank 24 of an eye-bolt 25 adapted to receive the lower S-hooks 26 carried by the hangers 22, for mounting thel shelf 21 in place. Each of the shanks 2etha's mounted thereon a sleeve 27 of rubber or like cushion material, which, at the-lower end, has lines of severance forming tongues 28, which are outwardly disposed at the under side of the shelf 21, as is shown mostclearly in Fig. L1, so that the butterfly retaining nuts 29 can seat thereagainst. In this way the connection between the eye-bolts 25 and the shelf is cushioned. A metal or other Washer 30 is mounted upon each of the stems 24 at the upper face of the shelf.

To assist. in guarding the shelf 21 against fracture, the arms 11' are'made sufficiently thin so that they are normally resilient` The .resiliency of the support for the shelf 21 canl be increased by locating the S-hooks 23 in theouter depressions 12 of the arms. On the other hand, these outer'depressions of the arms can be used for supporting further han ers to carry a third shelf, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, Al'. claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Display apparatus, comprising aV support, superposed, independent shelves ar ranged transversely of one another, and independent hangers for securing said shelves to said support. p

2. Display apparatus, comprising a support having resilient arms, hangers depend ing from said arms and having removable connections therewith, and a shelf carried by said hangers.

3. Display apparatus, comprising a support, means for suspending said support, said support having resilient parts, hangers removably and adjustably `carried by said resilient parts and depending therefrom,

and a shelf removably carried by said hangers..

1l. Display apparatus, comprising a support having arms, hangers depending from said arms, a shelf secured to said hangers, further hangers independent of'said ,first hangers, depending from said support, and a second shelf carried by said further hangers, said shelves being superposed and arranged transversely of one another, said support having means for securing it in position.

5. Display apparatus, comprising a sup port, means for mounting said support in position, hangers depending from said sup port, a shelf carried by said hangers, other hangers carried by said support and having resilient connections therewith, and a second shelf. carried by said other hangers, said shelves being independent of'one another.

6. Display apparatus, comprising a support, means for mounting said support in position, hangers depending from `said support, a shelf, means for securing said shelf to said hangers at different points along the lengths of said hangers, said support having resilient arms, hangers depending from said resilient arms, and a second shelf carried by said last-mentioned hangers and adapted to be secured thereto at different points along the lengths thereof.

7. Display apparatus, comprisinga sup-V port having divergent, resilient arms, each provided witha plurality of depressions, hangers, each having a member adapted to be removably positioned in one of said depressions, and a shelf carried by said hangers.

4 8.. In display apparatus, a shelf having openings, hangers for supporting ,said shelf, means for securing said hangers to said shelf, each of said means consisting of a member having a shank adapted to be received by an opening of said shelf, a cushion mounted upon said shank and consisting of a tubular, member having longitudinal incisions forming laterally disposed tongues,

and a stop carried by said shank, adapted to abutagainst said shelf, said tongues being positioned between said shelf and said stop member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MORRIS L. STERN.

Witnesses:

JOHN K. BRAcHvoGEL, l PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs. 

